Buying High-End Audio Equipment

What exactly makes something high-end when it comes to home stereo equipment in Chicago, IL? Is it about how loud it gets? Or how many features it has? What about how big the bass sounds? The answer, which will not come as a surprise to audiophiles, is no to all three of these questions.

So, what do those with trained ears listen for in high-end audio equipment? The goal of any high-end audio system is to reproduce recorded sound as close as possible to live performance. Be that a classic jazz recording or a modern electronic album, the aim is to make the listener feel as though the music is being created by those musicians right there in the room.

How to choose what’s right for you

We all have the same basic set of genetic components for listening to music: ears. Our musical tastes, however, are another story. When deciding what home stereo equipment you want to make up your high-end audio system, it’s important to keep your listening experience in mind at all times.

Surround sound is a good example where this is important. Surround sound equipment in Chicago, IL can be a great addition to a home stereo setup. But it can also be quite expensive and a chore to install. Before deciding if you must have a surround sound experience, ask yourself how much your listening experience with your personal tastes would benefit from this.

For example, if your tastes are geared toward classic recordings or recordings made before surround sound was widely utilized, then it may make more sense for you to focus on a really great stereo speaker setup. But if you prefer modern recordings or movies mixed in surround sound, you may want this type of setup to get the full experience of the recording.

Be flexible, but trust your gut

When shopping for high-end audio equipment, there’s a good chance you will wind up taking home something a little different than what you originally had in mind. That’s okay, because a little flexibility will go a long way toward finding the right setup for you and your listening environment.

While some equipment may look incredible on paper, and it may even sound amazing in the store, it still may not be the right fit for you. One reason is acoustics. Odds are your home is not as optimized a listening environment as the store. That means things will sound different in your listening environment, so keep this in mind when considering the best home stereo equipment for your particular space.

Specs aren’t everything. Just because a product says it has a frequency response of 10Hz–29kHz, doesn’t automatically mean it will sound better than a system with a 20Hz–20kHz response. While specs can be useful as a general guide, clarity of sound is an important detail that only your ears will be able to discern.

When you are ready to upgrade your home stereo equipment in Chicago, IL and get serious about enhancing your listening experience, contact the pros at Quintessence Audio LTD.

Categorised in: High End Audio

This post was written by Writer